Rajini fevers grips Mumbai as Kabali releases

Mumbai, Jul 22 (PTI) Though nearly a 1,000 km away from the city where megastar Rajinikanth resides, his latest offering "Kabali" has opened to an unprecedented frenzy among the audience in the film capital of the country.

With shows starting from as early as 6 in the morning-- and ticket prices at some places ranging anywhere from Rs 100 to Rs 500--the film was welcomed with euphoria by Rajini fans.

As it happens with most of the films starring the 65- year-old legend, single screens, especially the famous Aurora theatre in Matunga, had huge cut-outs of the actor and posters of the film which features Rajinikanth as a stylish gangster who is out to take revenge.

People were seen wearing t-shirts with "Kabali" printed on them outside theatres as a tribute to the charismatic actor who returns to the big screen after "Lingaa" which released in 2014.

Though the film, which has more than nearly 100 shows playing across several theatres in a single day in Mumbai, has been getting mixed reactions, it could not dampen the enthusiasm of the fans.

Distributor Akshaye Rathi says "Kabali" is doing phenomenally well in the south.

"Kabali is like a hurricane. Some of the offices in Tamil Nadu are giving leave to watch the film. Rajinikanth is a legend and shows are sold out till Monday-Tuesday in the south," Rathi told PTI.

"It is doing reasonably well in north with 30-40 per cent occupancy. In Tamil Nadu though it is housefull," he added.

"Kabali" is directed by Pa Ranjith, known for his critically acclaimed "Attakathi", a breezy portrayal of a semi-urban Casanova and "Madras" that had strong political undertones.

The Hindi dubbed version of the film has released in nearly 1,000 screens across India.

"Kabali" clashed with Irrfan Khans "Madaari" and Rathi says though the latter has not recorded huge collections on its opening day, it will grow due to word of mouth. PTI KKP JUR RSY AAR

This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.

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